Remembering Christ

Dear Mom,
Philip and I were asked to give talks in church on this past September 11th. I would like to share my talk with you, as it really came from the heart. Here it is:
"Bishop Dorais asked us to speak today on how to remember the Savior throughout the week. If I correctly understood what the bishop said to us when he gave us this assignment, this topic was inspired by the testimony of the brother who was visiting from the stake last week when he explained that in reading our scriptures daily we are helping to keep the promise found in the sacrament prayers to always remember Him, Him being our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I felt the spirit of the Lord when I wrote this talk, and I pray that you may feel it as it is given, and that whatever truth is contained here-in will be testified to you through the power of the Holy Ghost, for as it says in Moroni 10:5, “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”

As a segway into my talk today, I would like to give a quick tribute to the victims, families, and heroes of the 9/11 tragedy that occurred 10 years ago today.  I would like to remember them for their bravery in suffering and their desire to rebuild a brighter future. Although I do not personally know anyone who was involved in any of the tragic events that occurred that day, I was personally affected by it. It affected me as an American, it affected me as one who seeks to build love and understanding between people, and it affected me as a follower of God and a seeker of truth. That event, regardless of my lack of personal involvement, has done much to define who I am today. Because of it, I stand prouder as an American, but more importantly, I stand prouder as one who wishes to purify our earth of blind hatred and promote love and understanding for all, as we are all children of God. I have found, as I have grown and experienced life, that what better way is there to promote love and understanding among friends, colleagues, and even nations but through the gospel of Jesus Christ and truly living it in our everyday lives.  For the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of pure love, the mortal mission of Jesus Christ was exemplified by actions full of love and concluded with immense suffering in the name of love. In John 13:34 we read, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” In John 15:9 we read, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” And in Mathew 5:46 we read, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?” Meaning we need to love not only those who love us, but those who hate us as well.

We will not be ones to promote and inspire hate if we constantly are remembering our Savior and His message of love. We can give the gift of Jesus Christ, and of His love, by remembering Him in the way we live. This begs the question, how can we live to better remember our Savior in our everyday lives so as to spread His love to all?

I believe that there are two groupings of ways to do this.  First, are things that we as a group of Christians and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints should be doing to remember Christ daily, and second are the things that we should do to remember Christ daily which will differ between individuals.

First, as Christians and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, there are several things we should be doing on a regular basis that will help us remember Christ. These things would include giving several sincere prayers throughout the day (both personally and with those around us), reading our scriptures (including the Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, and revealed truth given through prophets past and present), Family Home Evening, attending church meetings, keeping the Sabbath day holy, partaking of the sacrament worthily, temple attendance, serving those around us, forgiving, living without judgment, and repenting of our wrongs along with constantly seeking higher ground. Doing these things will help to keep the Savior and His love not only in our thoughts, but in our hearts as well, and when His love is with us in our hearts, we will strive to share that love with others. 1 John 4:7-8, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Secondly, there are several things that will differ between individuals that we can do to daily remember Christ. We have all been given talents, whether they be talents that are seen of men, or talents that are only seen by God. And we are supposed to use all our talents and gifts to Glorify God, no matter what they be. Thinking of our talents in this way and performing them with Christ in mind will help us to better remember Him in our everyday lives. For in everything we can truly remember Christ. He can be with us as we attend classes, comfort a crying child, play with your children, enjoy a date with your spouse, complete homework assignments, accomplish tasks in the workplace, clean your home, or whatever else life may require that you do. I also submit that we should each approach the Lord and ask Him to guide us in the choices we make regarding media (including the internet, movies, games, and music) and that the choices we make in our media will help us to constantly remember Christ. For while there is much good that can be found in media preferences that support the spirit of Christ and spread happiness and love, there is also much which is intended to lead the children of God astray by whispering vain and flattering words subtly into the crevasses of our souls.

Although we constantly hear suggestions to do the things just mentioned, we should not take it lightly, because these things will bring about eternal consequences.  Please don’t misunderstand, the doing of these things will not attain our salvation, for as we read in Acts 15,  we believe that it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that we shall be saved, but it will determine if we are comfortable accepting the salvation offered to us by the Savior. The doing of these things will help us find comfort in the presence of our Lord, so that in that day when we stand in His glorified presence, we will want to stay, rather than run.  Something that Bishop Dorais said in his testimony last week really struck me. The thought conveyed was that if we are doing something only to appease our guilt, then we aren’t doing it for the right reason and it is likely that we will get nothing out of it. In Moroni 7:9 we read, “And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.” I would submit that this applies to other good things that we do without real intent. But rather we should do all our acts unto the Lord with real intent, and as we read in 2 Nephi 32:9, “But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.” So prior to completing your tasks, pray to the Lord and ask with real intent, that he will consecrate thy performance for the welfare of your soul. Again, not so that you qualify for salvation, but so that you will feel comfortable in choosing the salvation offered you through the grace of Jesus Christ. For we are not earning heaven, but learning heaven.

In doing these things, we will better remember our Savior Jesus Christ in our lives every day. And as we better remember Him, we will feel His love flowing through us and will not be able to refrain from sharing that love with others.  We will come to know our Savior in a more personal way, and as we let Him into our hearts, we will allow Him to know us better too. And as we lose ourselves in His love, and in His spirit, we will discover who we truly are and find the great potential that is ours through our gracious, kind, merciful, and loving Lord, even our elder brother, Jesus Christ."

I love you Mom.

Love,

Jenepher Kaye